Heather Grabbe
Heather Grabbe is a Senior Fellow at Bruegel and a Visiting Professor at University College London and KU Leuven. Her research focuses on the political economy of the European Green Deal and how the climate transition will change the EU’s international relationships and external policies. She was previously Director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels, Deputy Director of the Centre for European Reform and senior advisor on the Balkans and Turkey to then European Commissioner Olli Rehn.
Disclosure of interests
Featured work
Implementing the EU Nature Restoration Law: exploring pathways for member states
This paper explores three restoration pathways, revealing trade-offs between equity, cost-efficiency, and carbon sequestration
How has the 19 May summit changed EU-UK relations?
EU-UK trade and the Trump effect
What’s in the new EU-UK trade agreement and how does it fit with the tariff threats from Washington?
The EU-UK reset: a first, big step in the right direction
The most important outcome of the EU-UK Summit might be that it re-establishes the habit of working together
How should Europe welcome and fund research talent from the US?
Green, digital and resilient growth
Bruegel's 20th Anniversary event in Helsinki, jointly organised with the Bank of Finland.
‘Project Einstein’: research excellence for Europe and the world
The European Union has the money to attract researchers under threat in the US and should coordinate a scheme to deploy it
Is climate action still shaping public policy across the globe?
Green intersections: the global embedding of climate change in policy
A trade policy framework for the EU-UK reset
Rebuilding economic ties through cooperation, new agreements, and regulatory alignment
The choices Europe must make to secure its future
Europe at a crossroads: security, strategy, and the future of Ukraine
Europeans still want climate action, but don't trust governments to deliver
Despite recent election results, underlying concern about climate change has not changed significantly
Public support for climate action: can governments deliver on citizens’ expectations?
How can governments gain Europeans' trust in the green transition?
How can the EU Trump-proof its economy?
Updated assessment: Memos to the commissioners responsible for EU foreign, enlargement, and partnerships policies
Not yet Trump-proof: an evaluation of the European Commission’s emerging policy platform
This policy brief evaluates the capacity of the EU’s economic strategy to address structural problems and whether policy needs to change under Trump
Political contagion in Europe: can the European Union survive Trumpism?
Trumpism could fatally undermine European integration if governments do not stand firm and defend the EU’s law-based system
Finance for nature: how to improve funding for the protection of biodiversity
This policy brief summarises the options and outlines the main considerations in finding better ways to value nature
Vote, protect, prepare: 2024 in review
Europe’s tumultuous year of leadership change, climate challenge and the rise of industrial policy
Nature on the balance sheet: a financial perspective
How can businesses, governments and financial institutions work together to tackle the global biodiversity crisis?
Towards a circular single market: Strengthening EU economic security and competitiveness
What does a circular single market mean for Europe’s economic future?
Going ‘beyond Draghi’ to secure a sustainable EU competitiveness deal
Closing the loop: the case for a circular EU economy
Why moving to a circular economy is essential in the fight against climate change
Strengthening European defence
A closed-door roundtable workshop bringing together experts to discuss the future of European defence strategy
What lessons should the EU learn from the Deforestation Regulation controversy?
Extra time for deforestation: lessons for future EU environmental legislation
This Policy Brief sets out why the deforestation regulation has the right objectives but needed better design and preparation for implementation
The Sound of Economics Live: The US voted - what now?
A special live episode of the Sound of Economics podcast about the US elections
The US voted - what now?
A special live episode of the Sound of Economics podcast on the outcome of the US elections and where to go from here
Talks@Bruegel: China’s green transition with Wensheng Peng
How do scale and competition propel China's green transition？
Unlocking trillions of climate finance at COP29: A new quantified goal of climate finance
At this event, policymakers explored the economic case for climate finance at scale.
The Power of Perspective: long-term strategies for a resilient Europe
Adopting a long-term perspective – can Europe collectively tackle rapid change?
A circular single market for sustainable competitiveness
The Draghi report’s focus on critical raw materials misses the contribution of resource efficiency to productivity
A European circular single market for economic security and competitiveness
This Policy Brief gives an overview of the environmental and economic cases for Europe to improve resource efficiency
Bruegel Annual Meetings | 4-5 September 2024
This year's Annual Meetings centered around the launch of the Bruegel Memos to the European Union leadership 2024-2029
Memo to the commissioners responsible for international partnerships and reform of the multilateral development banks
Memo to the commissioner responsible for enlargement
Memo to the commissioner responsible for environment policy
Why does Kaja Kallas face such a difficult job as High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy?
Adapt to a harsher world: Memo to the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy
The EU has become more vulnerable, facing Russian aggression on its borders and a conflict in the Middle East where it has little influence
Talks@Bruegel: How the US weaponised the world economy with Abe Newman
How does recent research illuminate the US' influence on global surveillance and control, and what does this imply for international economies?
Why does turnout matter in the European elections?
Financial tools for biodiversity
This invitation-only workshop aims to stimulate a better-informed policy discussion on how to develop financial tools for biodiversity
The push-pull between geopolitics and domestic resistance: lessons from the 2004 enlargement of the EU
Geopolitics is now a chief concern of political leaders in both the EU and candidate countries, giving them strong reasons to integrate more closely
What visions for Europe? Unpacking EU parties’ economic strategies
The EU elections are around the corner. What economic plans are the parties advocating for?
The impact on the European Union of Ukraine’s potential future accession
This report evaluates the impact on the EU of a possible EU accession of Ukraine, focusing on economic consequences and institutional developments.
Democracy Tour: The Eleventh Hour to strengthen democracy in the EU?
At this event, VP Věra Jourová addressed how to strengthen democratic resilience amidst today's complex landscape
Two years later: addressing long-term consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The event marked the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, focusing on discussions about sanctions, accession, and energy
Ukraine’s path to European Union membership and its long-term implications
The war complicates the accession process, but Ukraine can work progressively towards meeting the entry conditions
Sustainable Transitions: unraveling the complex threads of global economic and personal change
How does the shift to a sustainable economy impact individuals, considering aspects like career changes, health, housing, and life satisfaction?
A year in review
As 2023 closes, we look back at some of the most important and interesting economic policy developments from Europe and the world.
How can the EU keep its credibility for accession conditionality to work?
New U.S. Industrial policy, subsidies competition and economic security
This closed-door event will explore the economic ramifications of industrial subsidies in the transatlantic economy
Ukraine’s future with the EU
What happens after the start of Ukraine's official accession talk?
'Green tech partnership' offers way to de-risk while decarbonizing
Dependence on China carries supply risks beyond just geopolitics
Rule of law rules future European Union enlargement
Clearer rule of law standards are needed to prevent strategic use of corruption in both enlargement countries and the current EU.
De-risking and decarbonising: a green tech partnership to reduce reliance on China
Greater alignment of the major economic powers is needed around a collective effort to improve security of supply for decarbonisation goods.
How to de-risk dependence on China while decarbonising
How should the EU manage its dependence on China for clean tech?
How can a clean tech partnership de-risk and decarbonise global supply chains?
Bruegel Annual Meetings, 6-7 September 2023
A symphony in progress: shaping a new agenda for Europe
How big is China’s global economic footprint? Takeaways for the European Union
Democratic Resilience in light of the 2024 EU elections
EU3D Final Policy Dialogue
The EU needs to move faster on valuing nature
National governments tend to backpeddle on green policies when challenged by self-interested voters.
Democracy does not die with a bang but a whimper
A timely discussion on the retreat of democracy and its root causes.
Shifting taxes in order to achieve green goals
How could shifting the tax burden from labour to pollution and resources help the EU reach its climate goals?
The political economy of climate transition
Is the green deal a strategy for growth or simply a reallocation mechanism?
Transition for all: equal opportunities in an unequal world
How inclusive is growth in transition countries? Post-communist countries are becoming more prosperous but many people are being left behind, risking